


Stories of Rhinkality

by Enterthetadpole, Whatsastory



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Different AUs, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-11 04:54:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17440331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enterthetadpole/pseuds/Enterthetadpole, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whatsastory/pseuds/Whatsastory
Summary: A small collection of stories about rhink goodness.





	1. Dance With Me

Link wasn’t the jealous type. No, not at all. Not one bit. There were never rules put in place as to how Rhett and he were supposed to behave around guests on the show. Even before they began sleeping with each other when they would stand a little too close alone in their shared office, or if one of them were looking particularly amazing in a pair of skinny jeans or form fitting shirt. They couldn’t help being attracted to each other. Two sexy men who were fairly straight. Most of the time.

Today was a different situation though. It wasn’t just a cute man chatting with Rhett while Link was getting prepared on the other side of the stage, or a pretty woman taking turns teaching them how to yodel to their dogs. Today it was  _ two  _ gorgeous people who expressly were there to get as close to them as possible, and Link didn’t like it one bit at all. 

_ “It’s Time to Go To and Fro, While We Learn How to Tang-Go Go!”  _

The title seemed so innocent sounding when you first said it out loud. Almost cute if you didn’t think about it too much, but now in the bright lights of the studio and Rhett holding Julianna in his arms like he was on the best date of his life was too much for Link’s green eyed monster of emotions to stand. It didn’t help either that the couple, which also included an equally good looking man named Benjamin, were charming, funny and eager to wrap their hands around Rhett just as much as each other. The segment was already running longer than usual, and it was fairly clear by the concerned looks that Stevie was making to Cassie behind camera number two, that only the taller man was getting the tango lesson this time around. 

Also, as stated before, Link wasn’t jealous, but it seemed as if Rhett was being purposefully dense when it came to instructions. Not only did Julianna have him hold onto her extra tight for the first couple of rounds because he was confused about the steps, but then Benjamin had to come swooping in like a dashing prince and lead Rhett around the makeshift dance floor so that he could show the proper way to lead. 

Link wasn’t jealous, but he was feeling petty as he watched them sweep past him. Feeling irritated as their laughter mingled through the air and straight to his ears. Feeling extremely relieved when it was over, despite the pair clasping hands and taking an overly dramatic bow. It was with great difficulty that he was able to show them off politely, with a breathtaking grin and sparkling eyes. Promises to stay in touch that he knew he would break immediately. 

Post production couldn’t have come fast enough for him. Nearly as soon as the wrap was called he was high tailing it to their shared office and slamming the door behind him. He pushed himself down into the chair in front of his desk and idly began to scroll through mindless internet drabble, only vaguely aware that the door had opened and closed once more.

“That was a blast,” Rhett’s voice sounded from behind him, but he couldn’t be inconvenienced to turn around. His finger kept scrolling instead, preparing to ignore his companion for as long as needed for him to get the hint and leave him alone. 

“Hear me?” 

Yes, he heard him. No, he didn’t care and he definitely didn’t want to talk about it. Not with Rhett, not with anyone except for maybe a punching bag or a particularly delicate wall. 

“Link? Your earbuds in?” The warm hand on his shoulder was quickly shrugged off, and his chair was scooted closer to the wooden desk in front of him. 

“You serious right now? What’s your problem this time, Neal?” 

Nope. He wasn’t taking the bait. He was going to stay silent. He wasn’t jealous, but he hated the way Rhett flaunted his flirting with others. He was so cavalier, like it didn’t matter to Link that he was acting like an ass. No, he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of ans-

“Charles Lincoln,” Rhett teased, and Link bristled at the sound of his given name. 

“You. You’re my problem,” Link spat in spite of himself. 

“Of course. Of course I am,” Rhett sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose with tightly shut eyes. He should have seen this coming, because as much as Link would like to pretend he’s not the jealous type; he’s definitely the jealous type. And Rhett had his hands where Link wouldn’t have wanted them. 

“What’s that ‘spose ta mean?” Link whined, revving himself up for the argument that he was absolutely about to cause. 

“Y’now what, Link? It doesn’t mean anything. Sorry you’re mad.” He crossed the room with long strides, settling into his own plush office chair. He intended on placating Link, if only for the sake of getting a bit of work done and not having to stay late. 

“Sorry I’m mad?  _ Sorry I’m mad _ ?” Link was on his feet, attempting to make himself look bigger, less like a child that Rhett needed to coddle. He was a grown man, and dammit, his feelings were valid! Fuck Rhett if he didn’t understand, and fuck that fake apology shit. 

“Go on, buddy. Get it out of your system.” Rhett’s voice was calm, if not amused. He sat back in his chair and crossed his legs, arms much the same sitting on his chest. He’d let Link throw his tantrum, if that’s what he needed. He was used to the outbursts, he could handle the storm. 

“You sayin’ sorry I’m mad is like sayin’ ‘Sorry you feel that way  _ comma _ but...’ It doesn’t mean shit.” His voice was creeping to impossibly high levels, the redness in his face showing through the rage. 

“Well,” Rhett kept his gaze dead on Link’s, “Maybe if you’d tell me exactly why you’re mad, we could talk about it. Use your words, you’re a big boy.” 

“Fuck you, man! Fuck you, and fuck them. That’s what you want, isn’t it? To fuck them?” 

The elephant in the room finally made his appearance earlier than expected. Link threw his actual issue in the air and it landed with a thud in between the two men. In all honesty Link was annoyed at how he hadn’t held out for a little bit longer, and even more annoyed still that he really did sound incredibly petty. He quickly searched his mind for a better insult, but Rhett was already chuckling way way too hard. 

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” Rhett parroted low in his throat. “To fuck them?”

The green eyes squinted in the smaller man’s direction, as if needing to make sure that there was actually a person on the planet as ridiculous as Link.

There was no real way for Link to respond. He wasn’t going to yell about being mocked. That would just play into Rhett even more. Throwing things was out of the question. Everything in their office was either too memory filled or breakable. Pouting was way too expected and stomping off and driving home would have only worked if  _ he  _ had been the one not being carpooled today.

“Trying to figure out how to not look like more of an ass than you already are?” Rhett asked. His long arms were folded in front of his chest as he stood by his desk looking like some sort of bearded genie. 

“I’m not being an ass,” Link countered lamely. “I just don’t like you gettln’ all groped on is all.”

Rhett quirked his eyebrow, and Link groaned as he sat down hard on the couch. Link wasn’t jealous. It was a matter of personal boundaries at all. Only he should be able to get close enough to the other man to feel his heart race. To inhale the subtle cologne that he always wore. 

“You think you own me?” The twinkle in his eye was the absolute most  _ annoying  _ thing that Link had ever seen. That smug ass smirk was like sandpaper against his eyes, only serving to fan the flame under his skin. Oh, he was so beyond pissed, and that fucking dick was just standing there, nearly seven feet of pure fucking bitchiness. 

“No, I don’t think I… what kinda question is that? And wipe that look offa your face, man.” Link squares his shoulders, his best attempt at getting himself together, and it made Rhett feel giddy with delight. He liked the power he held. Liked the way Link was so easily goaded.

“What look, Link? It’s just my face.” Even as he said it, he could feel the musculature of his face tightening, his smile broadening as Link pouted. 

“Stop laughin’! You’re really starting to piss me off now.” 

“I wish you could see you now. You’re actin’ like a brat. It’s cute.” 

Oh, no, no, no. He should  _ not  _ have said that, Link thought. He definitely should have said  _ anything  _ else. Anything at all. 

“Shut up! Stop makin’ me feel like my thoughts don’t matter, Rhett!” 

With a resigned sigh, Rhett leaned against his desk and nodded. Link was right, if he felt that Rhett had overstepped then he should apologize. 

“Link, I didn’t know-”

“You act like you don’t even care about me!” His foot stomped petulantly against the hardwood of the floor, much like the  _ brat  _ he was being, but his words were a little too much. 

“Hey, now,” Rhett’s voice finally lacked any hint of amusement as it raised a few octaves. “That ain’t fair, and you know it.” 

“You  _ don’t  _ care, though. You just… you just use me and then don’t give me a second thought once you’re finished.” 

Rhett hoped that Link would think long and hard about the next words out of his mouth, because what was once an exciting little tiff was morphing into an actual heated argument. That was a long shot of happening when Link got on a roll like this. Rhett sighed deeply as he continued to watch Link huff and puff himself into a slow rage. There were all the tell tale signs. The balled up fists and the fire inside of the dazzling blue eyes. The large Adam’s Apple bobbing up and down as the smaller man swallowed some of the comments he thought were way too kind to spit out at the moment. 

“I’m not having this conversation with you, bo,” Rhett grumbled. “You know darn well I care about you more than anyone.”

Link could feel his lips forming the word  _ prove  _ just before he said it, and he barely was able to keep his mouth from following through with it. There were certain lines that neither one of them crossed when they were in the throws of either passion or anger. There were unspoken rules in their little arrangement. No words too harsh that couldn’t be kissed away, and no words to sweet that they could be remembered the day after. 

“Well you got a shitty way of showing it,” was what he settled on, the only words coming to mind. He regretted them almost as soon as they came. What was he just thinking about?  _ No words too harsh,  _ he must have forgotten that little bit. And the way Rhett’s eyes glazed over and his jaw set hard let him know that it  _ was  _ entirely too far. 

“You freakin’ kiddin’ me right now?”

It was too late and Link was too proud to backtrack. If he were a bigger man, or if he were in a better headspace for that matter, he would have apologized. Would have crossed the distance between them and hugged Rhett, professing his love and his sincere gratitude toward him. He didn’t mean it, really he didn’t, but he was going to stay rooted in place and keep the look of disgust that he’d held since Rhett entered the room. 

“You think,” Rhett rumbled, voice impossibly low as he took slow strides toward Link, “I treat you badly?” 

Link didn’t say a word. Didn’t move a muscle. Didn’t blink. Barely even breathed. 

“Do you  _ need  _ me to show you how much you mean to me?” 

They stood toe to toe, Rhett glaring down and Link blinking up. Rhett raised his eyebrows, imploring, well, rather  _ demanding  _ that Link answer him. 

“Well, it’s just that…” Link squeaked, feeling much smaller now. Both physically and emotionally. 

“Just that…” Rhett encouraged, and Link stood a little taller. He’d come this far, might as well finish it off. 

“Just that it’s obvious to me that you don’t think about me very often.” 

“Don’t think about you often? Really, now?” This game was going on far too long for either of their liking, but Rhett was pissed and Link was in the middle of a pity party, and they were both doomed. 

“Don’t consider my feelings.” 

Rhett huffed as only a man with a huge amount of facial hair could huff. With an almost aristocratic air that made Link at 6’0 foot tall feel so amazingly small. Link was losing the battle with feeling unloved and minimal in Rhett’s world, but he wasn’t going without a fight. The flames in his belly weren’t put out yet, and Rhett still hadn’t actually disagreed with his initial outrage. 

“So, that guy and girl...you didn’t find them attractive?”

Rhett leaned against the door that kept both of them from escaping this. His light brow bend in careful consideration, as if his body hadn’t been pressed up by either of the beautiful dancers only an hour ago. 

“Never said that,” he admitted, simply. 

This answer didn’t help Link at all. If anything it made the entire situation even worse. Link wasn’t jealous. Jealousy isn’t what made him hate Rhett right now. It was fear. Link was afraid.

“So you would fuck them if they were here, then,” Link concluded. “And just leave me to be left with nothin’ but - “

“Just stop,” Rhett snapped. “Enough of you feelin’ like if I’m not banging you 24/7 that I don’t care if you live or die. There’s more to us then just sex, Neal. Always has been.”

Link considered his words, rolled through around in his mind. Sure it was true, but that didn’t mean that right here, right now, he felt supremely under appreciated. And when that thought wiggled its way in amongst the others, he rolled his eyes. Rolled his eyes at Rhett, at the feeling bubbling in his stomach, at the whole day and at the stupid fight. At everything. 

“Whatever.” 

“Y’know what, Link? I’m about  _ sick  _ and tired of this.” 

“So what’a ya gonna so about it?”

There it was. The tipping point. The challenge. Rhett’s signal to put Link in his fucking place, if only for the night, and shut him the hell up. 

His hand was in Link’s hair without a second thought, and the surprised yelp quelled the anger just the slightest bit. 

“What’re you doin’?” Link asked, only slightly panicked. 

“Takin’ you up to the loft. You wanna see what I’m gonna do about it?  _ This.  _ Now move.” He tugged at the salt and pepper hair, waiting for Link to walk before he drug him along toward the bed that he was about to throw him down on. 

“What’re you gonna do then?” 

“Gonna show you  _ just how much I care.”  _ The edge of his voice has Link growing before he even made it to the first step, anticipation coursing through every cell in his body. The tug on his scalp didn’t hurt, either. 

“You can’t show me anything. You’re mind’s too focused elsewhere.” If Rhett wanted to play rough, Link was going to let him. He liked it too. 

Rhett squeezed Link’s arm a little tighter and it earned another squeak. He was pulling the dark haired man along as if they were running from some dangerous creature that only Rhett see. Link had no plans of fighting Rhett once they got inside of their little hideaway but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t cause a fuss all the way there.

For what it was worth Rhett was far too used to this. Link’s complaining and snapping was something that the taller man had grown a thick skin from all of these years together. The only difference now was that he had a way of shutting Link up without punches to the arm or pieces of food or hard drinks. Now his own body was the way to have the blue eyes soften and lips turn upwards into dewey smiles. 

Link was pushed onto the narrow bed as roughly as Rhett dared, and the longer fingers grabbed at the narrow hips. Link groaned. He really didn’t have a choice. Even with his clothes still on Rhett always knew where to touch him. 

“You gonna keep your mouth shut while I care for ya?” Rhett muttered against the plump lips. “Or am I gonna have to make you keep ya mouth shut?”

There was a small whimper when Link opened his mouth to respond. He had planned on it being a snarky word or two, but instead his body tensed as a much larger hand palmed his groin. The circular motions were enough to make Link’s toes curl inside of his boots as his eyes rolled back. His nails were clawing the back of Rhett’s shirt searching for hot skin to scrape across.

“What was that? Didn’t quite hear you,” Rhett purred, and Link fought to keep his mouth going. He racked his brain for any words that he thought might run him just the wrong way, so that Rhett  rubbed  _ him  _ just the right way. 

“Doesn’t even feel that good. You’d prolly treat that other dude way better.” It came out much stronger in his head, but really it came out breathy and weak, but Rhett smirked anyway. 

“Better shut that mouth before I put it to better use, Neal.” 

“Make me.” 

Oh, okay. He would make him. It wasn’t hard to do. He pulled his hand away, ignoring the soft whimper at the loss of contact, and in one swift motion (and a prayer that his back wouldn’t scream at him later), Rhett hooked a hand under Link’s thigh and flipped him to his belly. He didn’t give him anytime to react before he was sliding on top of him, pushing the firmness of his jeans along the seat of Link’s pants. He ground his hips and listened for Link’s soft moans, and once they were audible, he halted his motion. 

“Oh, I’ll make you. I can make you do whatever I want. Cause you’re good and you want all’a that praise, don’tcha. You want me to tell you how good you make me feel and how you’re the _ only  _ one I got eyes for. Tell me, Link. Tell me you want that.” 

Link was fighting a battle behind his blue eyes and he knew that Rhett could sense it. Feel the struggle going on inside his head. One part of his brain fighting tooth and nail to keep resisting Rhett. To put the brakes on this entire romp and leave him cold and riled up in the loft while Link went home. Both of them would be blueballed but oh, how mentally satisfying it would be. The other side of what he needed was to do whatever and say whatever the taller man wanted. The desire to give in and allow Rhett to pull at his clothing and hair. Fill him both literally and figuratively until they were connected and coming all over each other. 

“I want that,” Link moaned. His need to be closer won out. “Want you to tell me I’m the only one you need.”

Rhett didn’t make any snarky comment back. He was too lost in the way Link was looking at him. With a fierce and powerful desperation that made every last thought of Rhett zero in on making the smaller man scream out his name. 

In a flash Link’s pants were pulled down and their lips met in a blinding kiss. The larger hands were pulling off fabric and grazing nipples, hips and shoulders. Link gasped as he felt the first lick of Rhett’s tongue on the tip of his length. He couldn’t help it. He had no clue how Rhett had gotten him so naked and hard already, but there he was. Already on display and being worshipped like a trembling treasure. 

“...oh  _ fuck _ …” Link moaned, his hands already finding places to settle into the dark blonde hair. 

Rhett’s hands started at Link’s knees, and trailed a tantalizing, tingling path up to his hips as back down, and Link felt each part of him being stimulated. Rhett continued with little nips at his hip bones, kissing her the most tender parts, and Link was practically writhing with need. 

“Come on, Rhett,” he whined, but it only earned him a cocky grin. 

“No, baby. I’m showing you just how much you mean to me. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Rhett pressed his cheek to Link’s thigh and gazed up to him. The vantage point made him look both so sweet and so seductive, and without even touching him it made Link moan. 

“Rhett,  _ please _ ,” he tried again, but was only given a shake of the head in return. 

“No, you petulant baby, you’re gonna take what I wanna give. Stop bein’ so selfish and let me have this.” 

Link sighed, resigned, and let himself fall backward, not carefully as his head hit the wall. 

“Well, now, I didn’t say to actually throw a tantrum up there,” Rhett laughed coyly, but before Link could think of something to bite back with, his tongue was on him again and Link was rendered speechless. 

Rhett allowed for time, teasingly, achingly slow his drug his tongue up and down and over and under, all the whole Link was a wiggling, moaning mess.  His hands fisted at the sheets that cradled him, and his knees shook as seemingly all of his nerves were stimulated, perhaps overly so. 

When the soft cotton fabric lost Link’s interest, his fingers searched for knots in Rhett’s hair, and when they didn’t find any, they created their own. The tugging at his scalp made Rhett yelp, and in return he gave a flat handed and stinging slap to Link’s naked thigh. 

“I thought I told you to be good. Stop bein’ so needy. I’ll get to it when I get to it.” 

“Want it  _ now _ , though!” Link pouted, and Rhett has to physically stop himself from smirking. Link was jealous, and Rhett loved every second of it. 

“Want what? You tell me, exactly what it is, and I’ll consider it.” 

Link was so thrown by the question that he stared. The raging hard on twitching just enough to alert him that time was moving way way to slowly. The hooded way that Rhett was looking at him was sucking all of the oxygen out of the room. That must be why Link was so fucking breathless. 

“You gonna answer me,” Rhett rasped. The large hand already was moving away from between Link’s inner thighs and back to the mattress. That was the absolute wrong direction. 

“I want you to love me,” Link said. He was internally screaming at how simple the statement had been, and the echo of the scoff from the man on top of him was just salt in the wound. 

“Gotta do better than that,” Rhett smirked. Fluttering his fingertips back over to the warmth of Link’s almost painful erection. “You’ve written songs and created dazzling entertainment. Got an engineering degree at the top of your class. I know you, bo...and your ass can imagine  _ way  _ better than that.”

Rhett could see the large Adam’s Apple bob when Link swallowed his praise. Relishing Rhett’s sweetness like honey. 

“But I do want you to love me,” Link repeated in earnest. “I want you to love me like you’ll never touch me ever again. Love me as if the world is on fire. Hold me tight in your arms until you know that I can feel it. Every single  _ edge  _ of your lips and every single  _ shudder  _ of your skin when I come in waves while your inside me.”

Link scooter his rear just an inch so that Rhett’s palm was brushing against his manhood. The bearded face too stunned by what he was hearing to connect that he was so close to the other. 

“I want you to love me until I can’t remember anything but what your fingerprints leave,” Link continued. “And you lose yourself in what we are when we’re together.”

Rhett groaned, and then wrapped the long fingers around Link. The blue eyes rolled back and moans floated from the parted lips as the pace quicken. 

“You sure are eloquent when you want somethin’. ‘F’only you were that good with your mouth when we were filmin’, huh?” He knew the double entendre that Link was sure to conclude, and he chuckled when he saw, from his limited view, Link’s lips twitch in a smirk. 

He moved skillfully back up Link’s body and kissed away the protest that was working it’s way out at the loss of contact before it could even form. Link folded into the kiss, a moan heavy with need bubbling from somewhere deep and primal in his throat. 

“Okay,” Rhett told him as he leaned back and made himself comfortable next to a dumbfounded Link. “You get the supplies. I’ll be here waitin’.” 

He smiled as Link scurried from the bed, clumsy with his limbs where he hadn’t been with his lips. He pulled the drawer from the bedside table with such ferocity that it nearly toppled over, searching for his treasure, a happy yip sounding when he found it. He was just as quick getting back to the bed, thrusting the well used bottle into Rhett’s hands and looking like a well trained puppy waiting for his next command. 

“Y’gonna… gonna donit now? Please?” He asked hopefully, bright eyes sparkling in contrast to the dim lighting that blanketed the room. 

“I don’t know. Have you learned your lesson in waiting?” Rhett teased, and Link nodded so enthusiastically that it was a wonder that the tensions in his neck didn’t snap. 

“You think I got eyes for anyone else?” He asked with an air of nonchalance as he popped the cap and dabbled the viscous liquid on his fingers. He rubbed them together, not sparing Link even a quick glance as he coated himself. 

“Maybe sometimes. But I know you don’t always want me,” Link pushed. 

“You think so? Even when I end up here, night after night with you?” 

“You’d do well without me,” Link told him, in his opinion, honestly. The lilt in his voice made Rhett tut, but not out of anything but pity. 

“That’s not true. There’s a lot of me that I couldn’t be without you,” he threw words that Link had once said back at him. But, just to make the sentiment his own, he added, “There's even more of me that I  _ wouldn’t  _ wanna be without you. It’s always just been you.”

Link dropped his eyes to look anywhere but into the loving face. He hated how much he needed to hear what Rhett was saying, and hating  _ not  _ hearing things like what was being declared all of the time. The uncertainty wore him down. Maybe that’s why his hair was graying faster in the last year or two. All because he was going over what if could mean if Rhett didn’t want him anymore. If he couldn’t get the green eyes viewing him like something stunning to be kissed.

“Baby,” Rhett rasped, and it was only then that Link knew that his thinking had been televised. That Rhett was studying him like a painting that was still glistening with unfinished lines. 

“M’okay,” Link said way too to be truly believed. “Jus’ needed a minute. Can we keep go - “

The kissed pressed against his lips made a statement. That Rhett liked the way Link swayed his hips when he wanted to make Rhett  _ both _ laugh and turn him on. The gentle fingertips that would glide down Rhett’s stomach when Link would start to really fall asleep. How much he craved the soft moan that would always -  _ always  _ \- leave Link’s mouth when they finally parted. 

Another motion had Link squirming on the bed sheets. The first and second finger pushing in as gently as they could. It helped Link realize how long it had been. Rhett’s brow was lined in concentration. Waiting for the slightest amount of discomfort. His ears alert for a hiss instead of a groan, and Link loved every ounce of his dedication.

“I’m not gonna last long,” Link mumbled. His head lolling to the right as he moaned deeply and hands digging to keep himself grounded. 

“Nothin’ wrong with that,” Rhett whispered, enjoying the writhing and twisting he was helping to uncover. 

Another finger slid in, and Link gasped. His spine curved up as he allowed Rhett to do whatever his body needed. The other hand tangled into the black and silver locks and pulled just enough for Link to know that he was being watched. Link  _ loved _ being watched. 

“Okay, okay,” Link panted, fighting against his tensed yo muscles to open his eyes. “Want  _ you _ now. Please.” 

“Okay, baby,” Rhett murmured and pressed a kiss to Link’s belly, light enough to tickle but passionate enough to keep Link still. His clothes were off in a frenzy, and he lined himself up easily before pushing in as easily as he could manage. 

“Y-you don’t have to go easy. Make it hurt,” Link pleaded with a heaving chest and sheets balled up in his clenched fist. But Rhett disregarded him, intent on showing him just how much he loved him. It was what Link needed, and he would give him anything to make him happy. 

“Shut up and let me do what I want.” 

Link groaned in response, but he wasn’t giving up like that. He wanted dominance and rough hands and lips. He wanted Rhett to tell him that he was his by holding him so tightly that he might actually break. Nothing permanent, of course, but just enough to show him how he was wanted days and days later. 

“You always think you gotta push to get what you want,” Rhett grumbled. The tone was annoyed but the kisses were just so soft. It was odd and pleasant at the exact same time, but Link didn’t interrupt. 

“Thing is that if you just  _ let  _ me in…”

Rhett stilled his movements, and Link looked up at him to see what was going on. Their eyes met, and thirty five years of conversations were unleashed. The blue telling the green how he somehow didn’t deserve being held softly. The green responding that it was the  _ only _ way that he should ever be cared for. 

“I wanna let you in, bo. You kinda already about in already…”

Link couldn’t help the pun. Rhett set it up too well, and they both snorted with laughter as they held each other as close as they could. The light moment needed more than either of them realized until they were still giggling a minute later, now stretched on the bed together and enjoying the warmth of each other’s touch. 

The was a sigh of relief when the larger hand began touching the inner thighs of the man next to him. The light lips on the stronger jawline as they settled back in to a nice rhythm. 

Rhett’s hands were everywhere, soothing Link’s flaming skin, and Link felt it; he was being claimed. His thighs, his belly, his jaw and hair and most sensitive places. He was Rhett’s, and the sensation was almost too much. Each nerve lit up under Rhett’s calloused hands, sending link into a dizzying frenzy of lust and the need for release. 

“Oh, please,” he whimpered, not entirely sure what he was asking for, but he asked nonetheless. 

“Please what, baby?” Rhett grinned, pushing his hips deeper and faster. He knew Link was close, and he intended to give him everything he wanted. 

“‘M so close… I’m- oh, fuck.” With the final word, his body was spasming, every component of his body working together to finish him off properly, and the sight of Link so lost in himself sent Rhett over the edge quickly behind him. 

“Feel like jelly,” Rhett murmured and he collapsed on top of a panting Link, but he didn’t mind. The weight grounded him and brought him back into himself. “Y’know I love you, right? Always have. Always will.” 

“Yeah,” Link sighed as he wiggles into the longer arms and closed his eyes. “Jus’ need to be reminded one in awhile. Love you too, bo.”


	2. Branded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos make us smile!

If it had been a normal night, Rhett knew that both he and Link would be in the arms of their wives. Probably snuggling with their ladies under thick blankets in their own homes. Their kids finally asleep after a long day of swimming or watching way too much television. Instead though, the two men were sitting in a loud bar in a fairly nice hotel. The last part of their mini tour completed and finally getting to let loose after a successful final concert. 

“Want me to grab is another pitcher?” Rhett called out. His hands were already signaling to their server to  _ keep ‘em coming  _ even before Link could give Rhett a sluggish thumbs up. 

This was dangerous territory and both of them knew it. The idea was just to get a drink or two to get the shakes out after the show. Link had suggested the bar in the lobby just to keep themselves firmly tethered to their rooms. Not like they would go overboard, but better safe than sorry. 

Rhett completely agreed. 

That was before the warm feeling in their bellies starting reaching the rest of their limbs, however. Now a pitcher and a half in the need for something a little more exciting was in order. 

Rhett grinned over devilishly to Link, and Link looked back with a raised eyebrow. This wasn’t the first time, by a long shot, that he’d seen that look. Something was coming, and Link would, just as always, rise to the occasion. If thirty years had given him anything, it was the ability to acutely hone in on Rhett’s body language. 

“What’re ya thinkin’, brother? Jack or Jim?” 

Rhett rolled back with a heavy laughter, and Link smiled back, proud at his knowledge and ability to read his friend like a book. Next came the nagging in the pit of his stomach that told him he’d be an easy drunk, but even so he couldn’t bear to say no. Not when Rhett looked at him so excitedly, so ready to have a taste of their youth back. 

“I’ll grab us a couple’a shots. You tell your liver to get ready.”

A quick nod was all that was needed to get Link pulling out his credit card. Even a couple sheets in the wind he knew that this bill wasn’t something that they should expect the venue to pay for. If they wanted the fun then the cost should be theirs as well.

The next hour was hazy at best. One minute they were dinking shot glasses, and the next minute they were hailing a cab with the vaguest plan of what to do next. The cabbie was the the one who suggested heading further downtown. According to him there was a small bar with chicken wings that were, in his words, worth their weight in gold.

Link cheered at the idea, and off they went. In the back seat the two of them began singing songs of their youth. With great surprise Al, or maybe it was Alex, joined in the chorus of  _ Sweet Home Alabama _ . Feeling this good should be a crime, but if they were going to jail, at least it would be together. 

“Here we are, gents.”

Link pretty much fell out of the cab as Rhett giggled as he exited much more smoothly. Then after placing much more money than the cab ride was worth they waved Al off and headed towards  _ Ollie’s Drunk Chicken Shack. _

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with this place already,” Rhett slurred, grabbing Link around the waist and helping him stand up straight. “Hope you’re up for more drinks, Neal. The night is still young!”

“Yeah, but you ain’t,” Link shot back, trying his best not to crack at the furrowed brow and deepest frown sent back his way. 

“You’re the same age as me, bo, or have you forgotten? Gettin’ a little senile on me?” 

He held the door open and Link passed through with less grace than a newly born giraffe, and Rhett pressed a palm to his back to help him along. 

“M’not senile. M’drunk, man. Need golden chick-wings now. Can you order. I’ll be in…” his eyes scanned the room, and lit up when they found an open table. “...That booth. You see it? That one there. You. Chick’n wings. Me. Booth security holder.” 

Rhett’s shoulders shook as he watched Link go, happy to see the normally tightly wound man come undone and the youthful exuberance that he missed dearly come back. He ordered Link’s food, easy on the heat and another round of drinks to accompany it, and once he’d made his way to the table, Link was excited and humming at the sight. 

“You’re feedin’ me. Oh, thank you,” he told him graciously, and wasted no time in digging in. 

“Make you a deal, Neal. You outdrink me tonight. And I’ll let you pick a tattoo for me to get. Whaddaya say?” 

Link’s eyes grew to the size of saucers, his mouth held comically open despite the chewed up food that sat on his tongue. 

“Like, I get to pick it? Completely? Whatever I want? I could make you get a dick drawn on you permanently?” 

Rhett didn’t answer. Instead he lifted up his right hand, pinkie finger extended and stared into the blue eyes. His expression of almost painful seriousness. 

“I ain’t planning on losing, so damn right you can pick whatever I’m stuck with. Penis drawing, any of our logos over the years...hell, you can have your dog Jade planted on me if ya want to.”

The smile was so wide that Rhett wondered if it physically was hurting Link, but within another moment Link had twisted his own pinkie finger around the slightly longer one and the bet was on. The wings were not made out of gold, but they absolutely were hitting the spot. About two more plates in, Link decided that it would be best to keep moving. Alcohol is always sneaky if you stay still for way too long. 

Rhett agreed and after another bill was paid they headed towards the more lively part of town. Here there were a mix of small night clubs and yet more bars. At this point Link had gone from being held around the waist to just grabbing a hold of Rhett’s hand. They both were beyond any premise to be worried about what anyone around them thought, including each other.

“Think I’m still able to walk a little straighter than you, Neal.”

Link blew a loud razzberry at the bearded face, but still pressed on. The next stop a convenience store to grab a couple of energy drinks to help get their minds off of lower gears. Rhett already could tell that they weren’t drinking enough water to stop a total hangover, but maybe they could slow down enough to not hate themselves too much in the morning. 

“Grab a bottle or two of water while we’re at it,” Rhett called to Link’s back as he took Red Bull cans out of the mini fridge. 

“Water,” Link deadpanned as he pressed a can to Rhett’s chest, “is for pussies. Y’ain’t a pussy, are ya?” 

“Jesus, that foul mouth of yours is gonna send you straight to hell, brother. Don’t take me with ya,” Rhett laughed as he side stepped Link for the liquid in question. 

“Have to make up for bein’ so squeaky clean online. That shit ain’t me and you know it. I damn near taught you every dirty word you know, didn’t I?” Link beamed with pride, as if it were true and not the other way around. 

“Sure, Link. Every fuckin’ word is thanks to you. Now drink the damn water.” 

The next bar was far from their usual scene. Blue and purple strobe lights danced across their features and loud bass-heavy music pounded into their ears. This wasn’t a place for dirty shots, this was a place for fancy drinks with impossible to pronounce names, but alcohol is alcohol, and these drinks went down considerably smoother. 

“Think I’m bout catchin’ up to you now, Link. You might… might have to carry me out of here,” Rhett yelled over the music, and seeing him in such a state reinvigorated Link. He was going to win the bet, and Rhett was forever going to have an embarrassing reminder of the night. 

“I’m thinkin’ you might be gettin’ a  _ slut _ tat. Cute little tramp stamp. Perfect view if…” Link shook off the thought and turned his attention back to the half finished bubbly drink in his hand. 

“Perfect view if what, Linkster?” Rhett winked when Link looked up, and the smaller man could feel his cheeks flare in embarrassment. “I think you and I both know it’d be the other way around, hmm?” Rhett growled in his ear, a hearty laugh taking over after Link shivered. 

“Don’t say that. I could take you if I wanted to.” 

The swagger in Link’s voice was - different. There was no other way to put it. There was an unwavering confidence in his words that did something to Rhett that sent a tingle through him that had nothing to do with the alcohol. Maybe this was something worth exploring.

“You think you could take me, huh?”

Link’s eyebrows raised at the question. There wasn’t any annoyance in Rhett’s voice at all. More of some sort of almost teasing curiosity, and the way that Rhett was leaning on the bar wasn’t helping Link not feel incredibly mixed signals. 

“Well, yeah if I wanted to.”

“And do you want to, Neal?”

Ah. There was definitely nothing mixed about that signal. Then again, the gentle teasing turning into dirty talk was a line that they had crossed before. Granted it was many years ago, and they were  _ slightly  _ less hammered. 

“Maybe,” Link answered, trying and failing to look seductive. He had the bedroom eyes down. Link naturally had sultry eyes, and with alcohol involved the blue seemed to radiate heat from them. It was the rest of his face that betrayed his desire to be sexy. The pouty lips twisted into a silly half smile, and the cheeks way too pink to take as fuckable.

“Hmmm,” Rhett slurred back, moving slightly closer and leaning in. The plan was to just startle Link enough to have him say that he was just kidding. Just a silly joke between too much booze and not enough inhibition, but instead Link leaned forward, and pressed his mouth fully against the bearded face. 

“The hell was that?” Rhett asked as he pulled back, not a hint of anger evident in his voice, and his eyes shone with mischief. 

“Told you I’d take you if I wanted to,” link shrugged and downed the rest of his fruity flavored cocktail. 

“Did you take all you wanted?” Rhett couldn’t disguise the husk in his voice. Throaty and laced with want and need, and Link reveled in it. So many years of Link always trailing behind, and here he was, standing tall next to Rhett with rubbery knees. 

“For now.” Link felt formidable, all powerful at the flash of upset on Rhett’s face, but maybe, just maybe if he played his cards right this would be the win for him. Just a few more drinks and Rhett would have lost the bet, and maybe, just maybe Link could comfort him after. But, it was probably just the booze talking, he thought. He’d come out of this haze and they’d both laugh. 

“Y’want another round, babe?” He asked casually, and grinned up as Rhett nodded, choosing not to comment on Link’s term of endearment. He was wasted, but never had he felt so clear headed, and that made for a very dangerous situation. 

“Long as your buying, _ honey _ ,” Rhett slurred back. Apparently the term of endearment wasn’t lost in all of the liquor. 

It was getting to a point where walking was pretty much the only thing that either of them could concentrate on. Rhett now completely understood why Link had trouble doing more than one thing at a time when stone cold sober. Multitasking was beyond him right now as well. 

Holding hands again, Link had taken the lead in their next stop, and this time the brightness of the store was punishing both of their sets of eyes.

“You two all right there?”

The man standing at the counter was built like a tank and covered with bright tattoos and large piercings. His beard was bushy and thick while has head was completely clean shaven. The eyes a vivid green that looked way too artificial to be anything but contacts.

“We’re doing great,” Link squeaked, letting go of Rhett’s hand and thrusting his own in front of the tattoo owner like they had been talking for hours. The shop owner quirked a pierced eyebrow before taking Link’s hand and slowly shaking it. Clearly he was already taking mental notes as to see how drunk they were before he offered his services. 

“Name’s Devil Dog,” he grunted. “What can I do for you?”

Before his eyes had even opened, Rhett could feel the dull throb snaking it’s way from the nape of his neck and wrapping around his forehead. At first, he considered a sinus infection, but that was squashed out as soon as he felt the accompanying ache in his belly, and the burning in his jaws to indicate he was on the verge of being sick. No, this was a hangover if he’d ever felt one. 

A tried and true remedy of a greasy burger and a steamy shower loomed in the distance, and with a great deal of effort, he convinced his limbs to kick away the blacker that covered him… only… it didn’t move, and instead, it groaned.  

“Link? The hell man, move over,” Rhett rasped and tried to untangle himself, though the effort proved fruitless. 

“No. Never moving again. Never eating. Never drinking. Just shut up and let me go back to sleep.” 

It didn’t help that Link was practically on top of him now that Rhett opened his bloodshot eyes as wide as they would go. The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach now moving north with a vengeance. Yes, him being sick was definitely happening. 

With a shove off to the side Rhett was just able to lift Link up enough to wiggle out of his grasp. The toilet bowl was calling to him like a siren and he was absolutely going to be praying to her soon. His back was already hating him for his he passed out on the bed, and now the pain redoubled as he bent over and vomited what felt like all the food he had ever consumed since grade school. 

“Fuck, man...I gotta get there too.”

The ringing in Rhett’s ear sounded remarkably like Link. Wait, that  _ was  _ Link hugging the side of the sink next to him. A quick flush was barely worth it, but Rhett knew Link’s OCD way too well to leave without at least a courtesy flush. 

There was no reason to stand up to get out of the hotel bathroom. Crawling was easier. Granted it took a hell of a lot longer, but Rhett had nothing to prove. This was Link. He had seen him much much worse than this. At least, Rhett was pretty sure of this. 

He stopped in the door frame, sympathy crossing his features as Link doubled over and hugged the toilet. He’d always had a worse time when it came to this. His getting sick took almost as much of a toll on his body as an Olympic sport, and Rhett knew he wouldn’t want to be left alone. So, just as he always had, he worked his way closer, and ran a soothing hand against Link’s shaking back, muttering words of encouragement. 

“You’re okay, buddy. You’re almost done,” he whispered, and though Link didn’t verbalize it, he was grateful for the company. 

“Why’d we drink so much, man? I hate us,” his strained voice asked desperately, and for that, Rhett didn’t have an answer. “I puked on my shirt,” Link whined after another round, and slipped it off wordlessly to toss it in the shower. Left in only his pajama pants, Rhett’s eyes couldn’t help but wonder down, just to Link’s waist band, where something dark caught his eye. 

“Thought your tattoo was on the right side?” He asked nonchalantly, thinking that he and Link has both gotten their wives names tattooed in the exact same place, but his mind was too foggy to pick apart the memory. 

“It… is…” Link breathed, and settled back on the heels of his feet, head in hands as he leaned over. 

“No, look, it’s on the left…” Rhett tugged down the edge of the flannel, just enough to prove his point, but what he saw stopped his heart and his breathing at the same time. 

“What’re you lookin’ at?” Link grabbed Rhett’s hand and shoved it away, pulling his waistband back into place. “Seriously, man, what?” 

Rhett’s eyes were wide as he regarded Link, not entirely sure how to ask  _ why  _ he’d chosen that particular tattoo, or when he’d gotten it. Link stared back in total confusion, waiting for Rhett to let him in on the joke. 

Link rose unsteadily to his feet and turned his back to the mirror, peering over his shoulder to find what had rendered Rhett silent. He took a deep breath and drew down the elastic waistline and yelped before quickly covering back up. 

“Oh my god. Ohmygod. Oh my  _ god.  _ What the fuck it that?” He squeaked, and as always looked to Rhett for guidance. 

“You tell me, Neal! Why the fuck is my name tattooed on your ass?” Even as he said it, and saw the look of horror flash across Link’s face, he couldn’t help but laugh. It was possibly the absolute most ridiculous thing he could have imagined happening, and hey there it was, literally in black and white. 

“Oh my  _ god _ !” Link screamed again and yanked his pants back down, staring at the reddened, and very permanent reminder of Rhett. 

“I think… I think I remember being in a tattoo shop last night? I… oh, fuck. I bet you that you couldn’t outdrink me. I must have won…” Rhett struggled to keep a straight face, knowing that once again he’d come out victorious, and this time, Link would remember it for years to come. 

“I’m gonna be sick again,” Link groaned. His hands went instinctively to his stomach. 

Rhett chuckled again, but this time slightly quieter. He knew that Christy wouldn’t get  _ too  _ upset about what happened. It’s not like she really cared about the first time Link put a name on his ass cheek before. Then again, it was  _ her  _ name that time. 

“I can’t believe that I got drunk enough to do something so stupid,” Link grumbled. “I don’t have any strange new holes in my face right?”

Link leaned forward so that Rhett could get a good look, and no, other than being slightly redder in the face than usual, Link looked piercing free.

“Oh hell,” Rhett muttered, as he rubbed his own backside. “I think we  _ both  _ lost the bet.”

“What do you - ”

Within a turn Rhett was peeling his own pants down. It was a very sloppy mooning, but this was not for shits and giggles.

“Please just tell me it’s not your name there,” Rhett tensed. “Even if it is, Neal, be a good friend and just lie to me.”

“It’s not my name there,” Link dead panned and clasped his hands tight to his mouth. It was strange, but seeing that Rhett was in the same boat as him made him feel considerably better. The same expression that had crossed his own features moments ago were painfully etched on Rhett’s, and it was his turn to laugh. 

“Why in the hell would they have let us do this?” Link laughed harder, on the verge of hysterics. 

“I’m glad you think this is funny, Link. I really am,” Rhett growled and twisted his body to read his own ink. 

_ “Linc, _ ” Rhett read, and Link laughed harder. 

“I told you it wasn’t my name, bo.” 

“Linc? Who the fuck is Linc?” He cried out, and Link found it hard to stand upright. His laughter came out unabashed, tears spilled from his eyes and he struggled to breathe. 

“I’ve… oh, goodness, i've never in my life seen somethin’ so… so stupid!” 

“How in the hell do you misspell Link?” Rhett growled, still trying to wrap his mind around what was actually happening to them. He had his best friend’s name tattooed on his ass, and what made it even worse..or, maybe it was  _ better  _ that it was spelled wrong?

“Maybe the guy thought it was some sort of nickname?” Link suggested, finally getting a hold of his senses again. “Like short for Lincoln would  _ technically  _ be - “

“Seriously, man, your logic isn’t working at all in the situation.”

Link frowned, but he wasn’t disagreeing. 

“We can probably get it fixed? It’s easy to fix the “c” to get it to look more like a “k” I think.”

“Oh that’s just great, Link. I’m so glad that you’re coming up with award winning solutions here. Lucky to have you in my corner,” Rhett spat, eyes growing redder the longer he stared at the misspelled abomination in the mirror. 

“Hey man. You think I’m happy to have your name etched on my ass for eternity? Guess what, buddyroll, I ain’t. But do you see me snappin’ your head off? We did this together. You gonna be mad at somebody, be mad at yourself.” Link was surprised that despite the bile that coated his throat, his voice came out so strong. He wasn’t going to be a doormat in this. He was just as complicit, and if they were going down, they were doing it together.  

“Shit, Link. I’m… damn I’m sorry, it’s just…  _ lookit _ . This is absolutely insane. God, the explaining I’m gonna have to do for Jessie…  _ Linc _ ,” he said it, and his voice broke its shell of anger, and he felt like finally he could see at least a glimpse of the humor. “My ass says  _ Linc,  _ Link. Are you seein’ this?” 

“Oh, trust me. I’m seein’ it, brother,” Link snickered, the humor creeping back in. Fucking Linc. Still though, there was remorse. For him and Rhett both. They both habitually took things a bit to far in their relationship over the years but this… this was a new beast entirely. 

“I just don’t know what would have prompted us to do somethin’ so damn stupid,” Rhett muttered to himself, casting one final gaze over his shoulder and leaning against the counter. 

“I mean. It’s not all that surprising. You know you’ve been in love with me for years,” Link teased with a shrug. He didn’t mean it, and he was going to laugh it off when he caught sight of Rhett again. 

He didn’t hold a smile. He didn’t laugh. He didn’t really do anything besides stare daggers at Link, with a soft and sympathetic look like he knew they were both about to be drowned if they couldn’t swim this wave. 

“I'm just joking, brother…” Link tries to give him and out, and prayed he would take it, but he knew better. They way Rhett’s jaw was set… there was a bomb about to explode. 

Link really had known it for quite some time. He didn’t need Rhett to say it out loud. He was perfectly happy living in his Schrödinger-esque world, where Rhett both loves him and didn’t love him. But Rhett was about to tear it all down, and Link didn’t know how he would even begin to articulate his own feelings in return. 

“Are you though?”

The question was rough coming out of Rhett’s throat. There might have been actual blood hanging off of the three words. They sure as hell stung on the way out through his lips. Link bristled, as if Rhett had said a string of curse words, but he didn’t answer the question. Not with the line in the sand already too deep to jump over safely. 

“Course I’m joking,” Link said, finally. The smile he hitched on his face didn’t meet his eyes, and Rhett knew he was lying. To both himself and to Rhett.

The small movement made Link jump, but it was only Rhett pulling up his pants and buckling back his belt into place. The two of them were making an incredible point of not looking at each other anymore. The silence spoke volumes. 

Rhett left the bathroom first and called up room service. The idea was to just forget about happened in the bathroom and at least get some food. Then afterwards they could figure out something to tell their wives. Some funny story about how they got drunk and tattooed yet another part of their ass cheeks. He could almost imagine Jessie’s dark eyes rolling at the ridiculousness of it all.  _ Typical Rhett and Link _ she might say. 

“Rhett?”

Rhett flinched at his own name, but he looked up from his bed. Link was sitting on the other bed looking at his own hands. He looked up when Rhett hummed that he was listening. 

“I think that we need to talk about...what really is happening. At least, I know I need to talk about it, if it’s ok.”

“We don’t have to do this, Link.” 

“No. I know, I know. I just…” he swallowed, and the bob of his Adam apple was clearly seen from feet away. “I want to. Talk about it.” 

Rhett sat on the edge if the bed and folded his hands in his lap. His head hung low and he studied the floor as if it might formulate the words for him to say if he looked hard enough. 

“Once this cat is out of the bag… there ain’t no goin’ back, brother,” Rhett reasoned. 

“I know.” 

“You sure you wanna change everything? For good. Really think about it, Link. Really, really think about it.”

“I… I don’t know. I just… I have a lot to say, too, Y’know?”

Rhett let out a noise, quiet, but startling nonetheless. A desperate, strangled but restrained sob, and Link was quick to sit at his side and wrap an arm around his back, pulling Rhett to his chest and stroking his hair. 

“I know, Rhett. I know.” 

He held him like that for quite some time, his own tears threatening to fall in Rhett’s messy hair, but they didn’t. He wouldn’t let them. He had to stay strong enough for the two of them. He couldn’t let Rhett down. Not like that. 

He thought it over. Thought of telling Rhett that he’d known of Rhett’s feelings, and he, too, shared the same ones. He thought of kissing him and stripping him of his clothes, telling him every word that had been dying on his tongue since he was fifteen. 

And then he thought of his wife. And Rhett’s wife. And all of their amazing children. He thought of tearing not one, but two dedicated and strong families apart. And then, he realized, he couldn’t do it. There was too much at stake. Too much to lose to be so fucking selfish. And he hated it. But it was necessary. 

“We won’t talk about it,” Link decided finally. And he was confident in his decision. “But just know, I’ll always love you… like a brother.” 

It was the same thing he’d always said, but somehow it hurt far more than it ever had before. 


	3. Drunk Texts Are Sober Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett and Link have a little too much to drink while they’re back home. And tipsy fingers have a mind of their own.

Link: Rhett?

Link: Rhett?

Link: Rhetty boy?  
Rhett: Man, what in the heck is up with you?

Link: Nothing…  
Rhett: Mmm hmmm. Don’t believe that.

Link: Ok, maybe there is something   
Rhett: Go on.

Link: Can you come over? I miss you.   
Rhett: You do know that we just saw each   
Rhett: Other a couple of hours ago. Spent five hours with you on the flight here.

Link: That’s different.   
Rhett: How so?

Link paused as he looked down at his screen. He hated that Rhett always had to be so darn difficult about everything. It just was different sitting next to him on a cramped plane ride back to North Carolina. Different in ways that Link couldn’t explain through a phone. He grunted as he adjusted himself on his childhood bed, adoring his mother for keeping everything in his room exactly the same, but wishing that she had at least gotten a larger bed. His momma and Louis had both chuckled way too loudly when Link had curled his 6 foot body onto the mattress. His mom had even taken a picture with her camera phone. His old fashioned, milk the cows and mow the lawn momma had a camera phone and knew what Instagram was. 

Link: Cause man! We’re at home. Don’t you feel a little nostalgic? I’m in my old room. 

Link: Thinking about us hanging out. 

Link: And just. 

Link: Missed you. Damn.

Across town, not at his mother and father’s house was Rhett, perched at the small writing desk in his hotel room. His brother’s kids had already claimed his old room for the weekend, and that was okay by him. He liked to be alone, and being a father himself, that wasn't always an option. He would have been lying though, had he said that no, being at home didn’t make him think of Link. Of course it did. He was woven into every memory he had of North Carolina. 

Rhett: You ever think that maybe you’re a little obsessed with me? :P

Link: You ever think that maybe you’re a little too full of yourself? 

Rhett: The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Plus, I know I’m not wrong here. 

Link: Whatever. Ass. 

Link: But guess what? 

Rhett: I probably don’t want to know. 

Link: I’m telling you anyway. Got into my moms liquor cabinet. It really is just like the old days. 

Rhett: Oh dear lord, that explains a lot.

Link: What’s that supposed to mean?

Rhett hesitated, not sure how much to throw into this conversation. The last time that Link added drinking with his texting ended up with Rhett racing over to his house and spent most of the night with his shoulder being cried on. It was years ago though, and the shock of losing such a close family friend had broken Link a little bit inside. Rhett didn’t want to go down that path again, but this time at least the drinking seemed to more nostalgic. 

Rhett: Nothing.

Link: Oh? Now look who’s giving out ‘nothing’ as a response.

Rhett: You do know that I can block your number, right?

Link: You could, but I know you won’t.

Rhett: Whatever, lol. So, what did you grab from the cabinet?

Link glanced over at the large bottle on his nightstand, almost chuckling at the idea that he actually hadn’t really checked what it was before he began. The heavy glass felt sturdy in his hands as he read the label, and then set it back on the table as gently as he could. 

Link: Brandy.

Rhett: You just looked at it for the first time when I asked you right now, didn’t you?

Link: ...shut up. 

Link: Your hotel have a mini bar? 

Link: Get drunk with me brother! 

His room, did, in fact have a mini bar. But paying for overpriced little bottles of vodka didn’t exactly sound enticing. Not that Rhett was opposed to drinking. And actually, it had been a while. And honestly, why the hell not? 

Rhett: Why?

He knew why. Link wanted to feel the solidarity. Maybe wanted Rhett to skip down memory lane with him. But it was still fun to tease. It always had been. Especially when Link wasn’t on top of his game. 

Link: Cause I said so. You drinking yet? 

Rhett: Yes, Link. Dammit. You’re gonna have to go get a big greasy ass breakfast in the morning with me. Deal?

Link: Deal. Now chug! I’m feeling it. You should be, too. 

Rhett: Okay. 

Rhett: Man these little bottles go down a lot easier than they did when I was a kid. Opening another now. 

Link: Yes! 

Link: Hey, later you maybe wanna sneak down and hop the fence and go cow tipping? 

Rhett: Cow tipping? You out of your mind? 

Link: Shh. I’m back in Highschool. Life is good, brother. Ride the freedom with me. 

Rhett: You’re something else, Link.

Rhett: … You wanna go camping this weekend? My mom probably won’t care. 

Link: I dunno. Don’t you have a basketball game? 

Link smiled down at his phone, the lightheaded whoosh of alcohol bringing tingles to his spine. But he was having fun, even though it was completely ridiculous. The silly texts were also making Link feel warm and familiar feelings that came from their youth. For a while why not be teenaged Rhett and Link?

Rhett: Nah man. Not until next Friday. I’m free until then. Can probably get Gregg or Chris to come along if you want.

Link: No, just want the two of us there. 

Rhett: Oh? Why’s that?

Link bit his bottom lip at the question, and it took a moment for Link to be able to come up with a reason as to why he had texted that he wanted them to be alone. It just seemed right. The type of thing a teenaged Link would want and a teenaged Rhett would jump at immediately. Younger Rhett wouldn’t ask “why?”

Link: Come on, Rhett….

Rhett: ?

Link: Play along. You know darn well that you wouldn’t be giving me the third degree about camping.

Rhett paused as he read the last test. Link was right, and if he really thought about it, he could feel himself fighting not getting to caught up in this game. They had come to North Carolina to see their families. Hell, that was the main reason why their wives had insisted on staying behind in California with the kids. To give both of them time to just focus on their families. 

Rhett: Sorry, bo. Say that last line again.

Link chuckled.

Link: No, just want the two of us there. 

Rhett: Heck yeah. More roasted marshmallows and dime store liquor for us!

Link: Hey! Maybe we can make some more shitty wine from scratch. 

Rhett: Um. I’m actually gonna try to get drunk. Not just taste foul ass old rotten fruit. 

Link: You’re a rotten fruit. 

Rhett: You wound me, Link. 

Link: I’m sorry babe. Want me to kiss it better? 

Rhett stared at his phone with wide eyes. He downed the rest of the bottle he was nursing and tried to think of a suitable reply. There were a lot of possibilities. Namely, what the fuck, but this was them back then. And back then they’d made it a habit to weird the other out. And so far, Link was definitely winning. 

Rhett: Inly if you’re real gentle. 

Rhett: *only

Link: I always am, for you. 

Link grinned. This wasn’t an unfamiliar game, and the longer it went on, the more he really did feel young again. Young enough to be able to say these things without worrying what other would think. Because it was Rhett and it was Link, and they’d always been close, and yeah. Their relationship was weird. But not weird weird. It was just two guys having fun. 

Rhett: Promise? 

Link: Always. 

Link: So. Camping? You gonna put the tent up so I can lay back and work on my tan? 

Rhett: I always put the tent up. :( 

Link: You know, there’s about a hundred things I could say to that. 

Link: None of which are g-rated. 

Rhett: Wow man. You actually went there?

Link: Sue me. I’m young. I can say what I want ;)

Rhett: If you say so, Lincoln log. :P

Link: Lincoln log? You trying to egg me on? Okay, man. You asked for it…

Link: I’ve got a log for you. 

Rhett: LMAO. You almost made me drop my dang phone.

Rhett: Hang on. Getting another drink. Tell me one of your bad Link jokes while I'm rehydrating.

Link: I don’t have a joke for you. But hey, have you heard about that fake noodle on the news? 

Rhett: Oh dear God, please don't…

Link: HE WAS AN IMPASTA!

Rhett: You're lucky that I don't know how to make that cringe looking symbol with my texts.

Link: It’s because there ain’t nothing cringey about my jokes baby! They’re golden. 

Rhett: So are turds if you leave them out in the sun long enough. 

Link: Didn’t know you were into that kind of thing, ya freak show. I’ll keep that locked away for future use. ;) 

Rhett: Don't you worry about my kinks. I'll just keep those under my own lock and key. ;)

Link: You think after all this time I don’t know your kinks, bo? 

Rhett: Wait. What?

Link: You’re not as mysterious as you think. You know a guy for thirty some odd years… you learn a thing or two. 

Rhett: It's thirty six years in another six months, but let's not lose focus here. What kinks do you think that you know about?

Link: In which situation? When you’re feeling… sweet? Or when you’re feeling stressed? Cause I know them both. 

Link: Or hell, when you’re mad or sad? Which one you want first? 

Rhett: Oh hell. Sweet I guess?

Rhett: No! I wanna know all of them you think you know. 

Link: Fine. When you’re feeling sweet you want someone to be sweet back to you. You want gifts and praise. For example: that shirt looks really good on you, Rhett. Brings out your eyes. Or, hey, here buddy, brought you lunch. Thought you might like to try this. 

Link: When you’re mad, you want control. You wanna make the decisions. You wanna tell me where to stand and how my jokes should be timed better. I’d imagine you’d want the same in the bedroom. 

Link: When you’re stressed, it’s the opposite. You want me (or bedroom partner) to take control. You wanna be told that you’re doing good and that I’ve got it from here. 

Link: And when you’re sad, you wanna be touched. You want a hand on your back or on your arm. You wanna be hugged and coddled and told everything is gonna be alright. You just want… more. 

Link: How’d I do? Did I miss anything? 

Rhett: Can we just talk about something else?

Link: I hit a little too close to home? And see, since I know you so well, I know you’re getting mad. You feel like you’re under a microscope. So Rhett, tell me, what do you want me to do so that you feel like you have a handle on things? 

Rhett: We can talk about something else. Anything else but this, okay. You may have gotten a few things correct, but I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's too much.

Link: Too much of what? 

Link: And is it really too much, or is it not enough? 

Rhett: I don't know, all right? Maybe us drinking and texting was a bad idea. 

Link: Fine. Then I’ll stop. Night. 

Rhett: Link, wait.

Rhett: Look I'm sorry, ok? It's just weird having your heart shown to you when it's still beating inside, you know? 

Link: You wanna know something else I know about you? 

Rhett: Does is matter what I say? Lol

Link: Absolutely. 

Rhett: Yeah, go ahead then. 

Link: I know there’s not a hotel room you’ve stayed in, with me or alone, that you haven’t been turned on by. The new surroundings… they get you going. Tell me, are you going? 

Rhett: Why does that matter to you?

Link: Because it’s gonna determine what I say next. 

Rhett: What if I say yes? Like, just pretend that I said yes and I could take it back after you answered. Act like it never was said.

Link: Then I’d ask you what your mood is right now. Because I’d wanna know just what to say to keep up that energy. 

Rhett: I'm lonely, and a little stressed. Maybe upset? 

Link: Upset like how? Like you need me? Or you need me to stop? 

Rhett: Both. 

Link: Alright Rhett. Then I’d tell you you should probably take another drink. Maybe two. And then I’d tell you to lay down and relax. Get those tight ass jeans off. 

Rhett: Lol. Finally got ahead of you for once in this conversation. Already done all those things. 

Link: How about those boxer briefs? 

Rhett: What about them?

Link: They balled up on the floor with the rest of your mess or are they still on? 

Rhett: Still on. What the hell, man? You trying to seduce me or something?

Link: I’m trying to give you what you need. 

Rhett: Right...what I need or what you want? 

Link: The question is, what do YOU want? 

Link: Better yet, what do you NEED, Rhett? Tell me and it’s yours. 

Rhett: What I want is complicated, bo.

Link: I said the question is; what do you need? 

Rhett: Even more complicated.

Link: Talk to me. 

Rhett: Ok, but you have to promise me that you'll listen fully before you judge. 

Link: Pinky Promise. 

Rhett: I want to know what you were trying to tell me at Rachel Downs’ party that time. When you kept on cornering me every time you saw me. 

Rhett: I need to know why you said that I had ruined everything later that same night. What the hell did I do, or didn't do?

Link: You didn’t go home with me. 

Rhett: That doesn't make sense, though. We had a nice time, and all these years later I still remember the way you looked at me. Like I had slapped you across the face or something worse. 

Link: Rhett. You didn’t go home with me. 

Rhett: Why would we just go home when there was a party with all of our other friends? We see each other every day, man.

Link: God, you’re fucking thick in the head. 

Link: You didn’t go home with me. You went home with the first girl that grabbed your attention. All she had to do was tell you that you had pretty eyes and you were a fucking goner. Meanwhile, I spent all that time with you. Like ten fucking years by that point. More than! 

Link: And you didn’t go home with me. 

Rhett: Oh.

Rhett: But, shit Link. We weren't ready for that. Did all this come from that one time we fooled around when we went camping? That was just us exploring ourselves. 

Link: Sure, Rhett. It came from that one time. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. 

Rhett: Hang on. If we are gonna go there, then let's go there. Since both of us are clearing the air, right?

Link: You don’t wanna hear it. You’ve made that abundantly clear. Let’s just go to sleep. This conversation isn’t worth having. 

Rhet:; She wasn't you, ok? The girl. I didn't actually do anything because she wasn't you. 

Rhett: Damn it. I'm pretty well into the alcohol at this point, and truth is out in all its glory, but fuck it. I tried to sleep with her but I couldn't because all I was thinking about was you. 

Rhett: There. It's out. I'm sorry if you don't want to continue this conversation. I get it if you don't. Really I get it. 

Link: I loved you. 

Rhett: Why is it past tense?

Rhett: Link? Answer me. Why is it past tense?

Link: Shut up. Please. Just. Please. 

Rhett: Link, you were right about me. My kinks or whatever you called them. But I'm right about a lot of things about you too. You still do love me. 

Link: That doesn’t matter now. Because I said what I said earlier and you froze up. Even if I did it would be one sided. And I’m not that pathetic little boy anymore. 

Link: I’m not gonna chase you for the rest of my life, Rhett. I’m not. I’m done and it’s never gonna happen again. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I’m sorry that I’m just a fucking idiot and don’t know when to shut my mouth.

Link: But I know now, and it’s never gonna happen again, okay? So just fucking drop it. Don’t ever talk about this again. 

Rhett: No. 

Rhett: I'm not gonna make the same mistake I made back then. 

Rhett: Link, I loved you back then and I love you now. I think about you more than I know that I should. Sometimes I imagine holding you and kissing you and 

Rhett: Doing more with you. You get what I'm saying?

Rhett: I love you, Link.

Link: You can’t just 

Link: Say that to me, okay? Just. You can’t. We have other shit going on. We’re grown. We have responsibilities. Priorities other than each other. We had our shot and we blew it. 

Rhett: If we really thought that we never would have gotten this far in this conversation.

Rhett: You know that, and so do I. 

Rhett: And talking about our feelings isn't anything new. If I had it to do again, sure I would have made different choices. 

Rhett: But I'm proud of who we are. I'm proud of what we've accomplished. I'm proud to say that I love you.

Link: Please. 

*missed phone call*

Rhett: Link, pick up the phone, or call me back. 

Link: Why are you doing this to me? It was all fun and games. You ruined it. You ruin everything. 

Rhett: I'm ruining your night again? 

Rhett: Funny how history repeats itself. 

Rhett: But this time is different. 

Rhett: This time I want to be with you, Link. 

Rhett: Can you come over to my hotel? Uber or something, obviously. Autocorrect is saving my ass right now. 

Rhett: Never been so bleary eyed yet seeing things clearer than ever. 

Link: If I come… you gonna hate me in the morning? Everything gonna be over? We gonna burn our shit to the ground? 

Rhett: Nothing is over. Couldn't get away from you even if I tried. Joined at the hip.

Rhett: Ride or die.

Rhett: That's the saying, right? 

Link: I don’t give a fuck about a saying. 

Link: I love you, too. 

Link: Fuck I love you so much. 

Link: I always have. You’ve always had me. 

Rhett: That mean you coming over here?

Link: Yeah. I’m comin. Don’t pass out. 

Rhett: Ok. Shit. This is really happening, isn't it? 

Link: Better be. Ordered my ride. Be there soon. 

Rhett: oO. I'll stay here, lol. 

Rhett: and Link, I love you.

Link: You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear that. 

Link: I love you. 

Link: I love you. 

Link: I love you. 

Rhett: Damn it, stop making me tear up. I'm ruining my imaginary mascara. 

Link: Would you rather hear about all of the things I’m gonna do to you when I get there? 

Rhett: …

Rhett: Yes 

Link: I’m gonna start by kissing you. You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to. 

Link: Gonna run my hands all over your body. 

Link: Won’t be a spot I don’t touch. Wanna feel you. 

Rhett: I'm gonna like that.

Rhett: Maybe we'll actually get to finish more this time. Last time we both kind of got too ahead of ourselves before things got good. Lol

Link: I’m a lot more virile now. Don’t you worry about that. 

Link: Fuck, Rhett. 

Link: You want top or bottom? We’re going all the way. I’m not waiting anymore. 

Rhett: Oh shit. Yeah, we never talked about that huh? Man, I don't know. I think I'd prefer top but I just don't know. 

Link: I’ll let you take me. You can have me. I’m yours. You can take whatever you want. 

Rhett: Oh hell. I think I'm sweating. Lol

Link: You have a lot to live up to. I’ve been imagining this for more than half my life. You got it in you? 

Link: Ride is here. 

Rhett: What? Already? Fuck. You're not that far away from the hotel. I need to shower and stuff. Hang in. BRB. 

Link: Wait for me. 

Rhett: Why? I'm just taking a shower.

Rhett: Oh right. I'm dumb. You wanna come in with me. :)

Link: Uh huh. I do. Wanna see you. All of you. Wet. Steamy. God I’m gonna fuckin pop in this poor guy’s car. 

Rhett: Lol. I don't think the driver will appreciate seeing all of that like I would. Think of cats and puppies. That's what I'm doing. 

Link: I can’t man. I’m just thinking of sucking your dick. Of you returning the favor. Of you inside me and moaning my name. I’m so fucking hard for you Rhett. 

Rhett: I think I need to sit back down. Feeling light headed. Fuck.

Link: Just wait til I’m riding you. Gonna feel so good. I’m gonna fucking come all over you. Want you to come inside me. 

Rhett: Oh Christ. I want that so bad. Have you squeezing my dick around you while you bounce on top of me. Me scratching your back as I moan into your ear.

Link: Gonna roll my hips all around you. Make you touch me. We’re gonna get a noise complaint. And I’m not gonna care. Because I’m gonna be too busy going for round two. 

Rhett: Round two is going to be in the shower. I think I can get us some lube from the store up the street. You have an ETA? Can probably get there before you arrive.

Link: Get a big bottle. Cause when we wake up in the morning you’re gonna tell me how much you love me. And then we’re gonna take it slow and you’re gonna make love to me like you should have years ago.

Link: 15 mins 

Rhett: That's enough time. Just need to calm down long enough to get in a pair of pants. Lol

Link: Oh. So you probably don’t want me to tell you how I’m gonna lick you from your neck to your thighs? Or how your knees are gonna shake when you’re in my mouth and I’m looking up at you and begging for more? 

Rhett: …

Rhett: Are you trying to make me pass out?

Link: Wake up baby. You’ve got a long night ahead of you. 

Rhett: Oh man. I need to put my phone on silent while I head to the store, or I'll never make it. Heading out now. Afk for five minutes. 

Link: [img.jpeg.]

Link: You can see it through my pants. Thank god for street lights. Almost used a flash :O

Rhett: Oh my God, you are trying to kill me.

Link: Well we both took French. You know the word for orgasm is la petite mort? Little death. 

Rhett: I pulled my phone to check the time in the store while the cashier was looking right at me, the poor lady asked if I was all right. Lol

Rhett: I told her no, but I will be in about another ten minutes 

Link: You got there awful quick. You in a rush? What’s got you so excited babe? 

Rhett: You damn well know the answer to that!

Link: Wouldn’t be the thought of fucking me into the fucking mattress would it? 

Rhett: Oh good God. Link, what are you trying to do to me? 

Link: That should be clear by now. 

Rhett: [img.jpeg.]

Rhett: Seriously, look at what you are doing to me.

Link: That’s gonna go inside of me? Jesus Christ. 

Link: Four minutes. 

Link: Almost there. 

Rhett: I'm warning you that I might be rougher than I usually am. 

Link: Promise? 

Rhett: Oh wow. Did I trigger one of your own kinks, baby? ;)

Link: If I’m gonna be with a man. I’m gonna get man handled. And keep calling me baby. I like that. 

Rhett: You know what I also love about you, baby?

Link: My quick wit and brilliant mind? 

Rhett: Well, yes. But I was talking about your plump lips and gorgeous face. Those blue eyes sparkle so much too. And your smile. It makes me meet every time. 

Link: God Rhett. I fuckin love you. 

Link: and Rhett? 

Link: I’m here. 

Rhett: Room 211. I'm waiting for you. I always have.

Link tucked his phone in his pocket and scanned the lobby for the elevator. He pushed the button once, twice and then a third time. The light flashed above to signal that it was on the fourth floor, and Link decided that it would take far too long to get to him. The stairs were a much better option. 

The alcohol was still singing in his veins, but he’d never been surer footed as he took two steps at a time, using the railing to propel him faster. 

His knuckles on the door were a hard and fast bang, and the door swung open almost immediately. Rhett stood behind it with a hooded look that made Link weak in the knees. 

“Hi, baby,” Rhett rasped, and the corner of Link’s lip inched up in a shy smile. It was going to be a great night.


End file.
